About

"This is where the most exciting conversations about Disability and Theater are happening."-Heidi Handelsman/Director

In his play "The Rules of Charity," the late John Bellusowrote about "the apothetae," a chasm in Ancient Greece where disabled and deformed infants were thrown away. I knew John and had the pleasure to perform in "The Rules Of Charity" Off-Broadway in 2007. Every night during performance I listened as the character of Monty said that, disabled people have no collective history because from the dawn of time they weren't allowed to have a history. I was moved by these words- and also saddened- because I knew John had hit upon an unsettling truth. Since that production I have been thinking of a way to take action to change this.

One of the reasons I started this company is to continue the work that John was dedicated to achieving in his work. In homage to him I am naming the company, The Apothetae. The term translates to, "the place of exposure," and one of my company's primary goals is the creation of new full-length plays that will make visible the Disabled Experience, both personal and collective, throughout history.

The company has accomplished a lot in its first years. The Apothetae has commissioned five writers, four able-bodied and one disabled, to write five new plays. Following The Apothetae's first residency at The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts' annual Page to Stage Festival in September of 2012, all of our commissioned plays were further developed thanks to the generous support of The Lark.

The Apothetae's full BODY OF WORK goes far beyond the production of plays. I see the company as a platform for a larger conversation around Disability that isn't occurring within the cultural sector and the world at large. In many ways we are a theatre company, an arts incubator and service organization.

The Apothetae and The Lark continue a robust collaboration. Both organizations hosted the first ever national convening to discuss issues at the nexus of Disability and Theatre in May 2015. Together, we produced, "Telethon!," a virtual, theatrical event to raise awareness and support for the The Apothetae and Lark Initative, which includes The Apothetae and Lark Playwriting Fellowship. The second convening was held this Fall, and the Fellowship officially launched in September 2017.

I believe in the transformative power of theatre. Through the collaborative experience of the artistic process I believe the "Disabled Experience" can be more sincerely and accurately reflected on stage, that new communities can be forged, perceptions changed and barriers to understanding and empathy can be shattered.